In this issue of California Currents|online:

Keeping PCBs Out of the Bay

At its October hearing the State Water Board will consider approving a San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board plan to address polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Bay. These chemicals, which were banned in the 1970s, are linked to cancer, developmental impairment, and other serious health impacts. They accumulate in the fat of living organisms, including fish and the people who eat them.

Prop 65 Listing of Two Plastic Additives Under Attack

The chemical industry, represented by the American Chemistry Council, spends millions of dollars each year in California protecting the industry's profits and blocking efforts to protect the environment and the public from harmful chemicals. The most recent battle has been over adding the plastic additives bisphenol A (BPA) and styrene to California's Proposition 65 list.

Welcome Virginia Madueño, Central Valley Community Organizer

In February 2009, Clean Water Action welcomed Virginia Madueño to our California team as we expand our outreach to communities in the northern Central Valley who do not have access to clean water. We are delighted to have Virginia working with us and wanted you to hear, in her own words, about the work she is doing. "The Central Valley is the agriculture capital of California and perhaps the nation. As the daughter of migrant farm workers, I learned to appreciate the farmland that surrounded us because it represented the livelihood of my and countless other families throughout the region. As fertile as the ground is for agriculture however, the Valley is also plagued with water quality issues. Historically, I grew up being concerned about water shortages and drought while not realizing we also face a fundamental water quality problem-the lack of access in many communities to clean and affordable drinking water."

State Legislators Propose Controversial Delta Bill Package

On August 4, Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly released legislation to address the problems of the Delta, where a precipitous decline in local species that prompted a court-ordered reduction in pumping has sparked serious discussions about how to restore the region's ecosystem. Key leaders met behind closed doors for several months to craft this legislation.